AGA Survey Projects 36% Increase in NFL Betting, 73% Increase in Sports Betting

• The American Gaming Association (AGA) Conducted a New Sports Betting Survey
• Sports Betting Growth Attributed to Multiple Factors Like Legalization and Attendance
• Illegal Bookies, Offshore Sportsbooks Still Attracting Business, Expected to Slow

The American Gaming Association (AGA) Conducted a New Sports Betting Survey

Here’s a fun projection – a whopping 45.2 million Americans are expected to place a bet on the upcoming 2021-22 NFL season, the most football bettors ever, at least according to a new sports betting survey conducted by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

That means 36 percent more people will gamble on the NFL than did in the prior season, and 73 percent more Americans – 19.5 million of them – will facilitate a sports bet through the internet this season.

The AGA contracted the online survey research firm Morning Consult to do the actual groundwork, having a national sample of 2,200 United States adults complete an online survey stating their likely sports betting plans for this upcoming NFL schedule.

Sports Betting Growth Attributed to Multiple Factors Like Legalization and Attendance

There are many causes attributed to this sudden increase in NFL and sports betting, including the recent upsurge in legal sportsbook availability in the US and an increase in live game attendance.

With so many areas in America either offering or about to offer legal sports gambling, there are now up to 111 million US adults living in a state where they have (or will have) access to a legal sportsbook.

This fact didn’t go unnoticed by AGA President Bill Miller who has been on the pulse of this recent expansion.

Sports betting is more popular than ever among Americans, and the enthusiasm of bettors for the upcoming NFL season highlights the remarkable growth of the industry over the past three years.

Another factor in the increase of sports gambling is a gradual return to the stadiums by fans who were basically shut out of sports venues last year due to the effects of the worldwide pandemic.

Still, lots of gamblers prefer the old-fashioned way of placing bets.

Illegal Bookies, Offshore Sportsbooks Still Attracting Business, Expected to Slow

Despite the influx of legal sportsbooks, some bettors still prefer to place their bets with less ‘reputable’ bookmakers – offshore sportsbooks and local bookies – due to the more personal relationship that can be developed in some cases and the more flexible payment plan that others might offer.

In fact, the AGA 2021-22 NFL betting review states that “an estimated 6.7 million US adults will likely make a wager with an unlicensed operator” and that’s during an expected 13 percent year-over-year growth rate, the slowest thus far.

Industry experts like VSIN co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Brian Musburger understand that despite this increase in sports betting, there is still a large percentage of the general population that doesn’t or will never gamble.

You don’t want to tick that crowd off. But you can’t put your head in the sand and pretend that there aren’t billions of dollars at stake based on the outcomes of these games, so it’s a tricky balance.

But it’s also a potentially lucrative one, with research showing that the NFL wagers placed in 2021, excluding parlay bets, could generate as much as $1.5 billion in revenue for sportsbooks across the country.